/ 12 June 2006

Aussie kids aged six, 10 go on road trip

Two young brothers aged 10 and six drove for more than 100km along one of Australia’s busiest roads to visit their grandfather, police said on Monday.

The pair reached speeds of up to 90kph as they raced along the Newell highway in their grandmother’s station wagon, shocking fellow motorists who alerted the police.

When officers finally flagged down the pair near the town of Moree in northern New South Wales state, they jumped into the backseat.

But the 10-year-old, who was driving, had forgotten to put the automatic car into park and it took off by itself, before he jumped back into the driver’s seat and switched off the engine, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The tearful pair were reunited with their grandparents after a stern talking-to by local officers. — AFP